MEETINGS
FIRE PREVENTION BUREAU
Fire prevention officers are busy people. Running from inspection to inspection, responding to citizens’ complaints, reviewing a stack of sprinkler system plans, filling out endless forms—just keeping up with the routine work is a major endeavor. Conducting meetings, then, may be seen as a real burden by some people.
hut although conducting meetings takes time and effort, it often can be a real saver” in the long run. Communicating face-to-face with your “customers” can provide direction, minimize misunderstandings. and resolve problems. This column will provide some ideas for enhancing the effectiveness of your meetings and improving their end results
W hen are meetings necessary? Most experienced personnel have a sense of when to call a meeting. Such times include
- when major problems may develop,
- when major problems have developed.
- when a telephone call just won’t “cut it” (when misunderstandings may occur w ithout a face-to-face meeting).
- when the issue at hand is complicated,
- when complex code text necessitates coordination between numerous people and no one appears to be in charge, and
- when the fire chief or city manager calls and asks, “W hat’s going on at 123 Main Street?”
FACILITIES
1 had the misfortune (as I’m sure many of you have had) of having less than optimum office and meeting space. To get to our very small meeting room in the cityhall annex building, it was necessary to pass through a small employee lunchroom.
Even I was surprised when, one day, while leading a group of oil company engineers to our conference room, I spotted a real embarrassment. A bag of microwave popcorn lay spilled all over the floor while a person lay sleeping on top of one of the break room tables. I tried to ignore it. So much for professionalism.
Meeting rooms should be spacious, with enough chairs for at least six to 10 people (speaking of chairs, are you still using those dark green and metal chairs straight out of Dragnet?). Tables should provide enough room for spreading out plans and paperwork. A blackboard and telephone also are useful. The room should be as noise-resistant as possible, and ideally its sole purpose should be that of a meeting room—it shouldn’t double as somebody’s office. Interruptions must be kept to a minimum.
THE MEETING
Once the need for a meeting has been established, you must attend to all the necessary details. Establish the meeting time, verify the availability of your meeting room (it is helpful to have a logbook/ board to give all bureau personnel the ability to reserve the room), and contact all necessary parties to confirm their attendance. Brief all attendees on what will be discussed at the meeting.
Although most bureau personnel don’t have the time to write a meeting agenda, you should begin each meeting with a brief overview of what will be covered. Doing so will focus everyone’s attention — including your own —on the subject at hand.
In addition to the “Hot Topic” segment of the Fire Prevention Bureau, we areinitiating a thought-provoking fire prevention photo spread in which we will feature your photos of fire-related code violations as well as unusual fire prevention activities. W hat photos do you have at the bottom of your desk? Send the photos, your name, return address, daytime telephone number, and a brief caption (including the specific code, edition, and citation, if possible) to Prevention Points to Ponder Fire Engineering Park 80 West. Plaza 2, ~th Floor Saddle Brook. NJ 07662
Please note that as of July 1 our zip code will change to 07663.
At the start of the meeting, send an attendance sign-in sheet around your meeting table and have all attendees introduce themselves. During the meeting, make sure your objectives are being met. Have all your questions been answered? Does everyone understand what they need to do? Have all attendees voiced their opinions? At the meeting’s conclusion, make copies of the attendance sheet and give one to every attendee.
Meetings with a fire marshal are stressful for many people (although I’ve made only two people cry during meetings). Try to lessen the tension. If you expect a particularly tense meeting, try a joke—it can break the ice.
NOTES, NOTES, NOTES
1 can’t emphasize enough the importance of taking good notes during a meeting. Some people think note taking is unnecessary —nothing could be further from the truth. Accurate, detailed notes of a meeting are extremely important—they describe what was discussed (and, effectively, what was not discussed), the decisions rendered, and the commitments made. Such written records have saved the day for me on several occasions.
Standardized meeting note forms work well. Such forms have a heading on top in which to fill in an address, the name of a building/project, type of construction, fire protection systems, and so forth. This “fillin-the-blank” format provides a starting point for discussion and helps avoid overlooking critical information. Blank lines following the title block can be used to fill in the details of the meeting itself. At the conclusion of the meeting, make copies of your notes for all attendees. Attach the original attendance sign-in sheet to the meeting notes and place the packet in your files.
In many cases, other people at the meeting will prepare their own notes. In all probability, they will send you a typewritten copy of their notes. If .someone elsc’s typewritten notes contain inaccuracies. respond immediately in writing, pointing out the errors in the notes. Also ask for a revised set of notes. Believe me, the effort you make to prepare good notes will pay off time and time again.
PRELIMINARY PLAN REVIEW
Preliminary plan reviews are meetings conducted to discuss the fire code and its effects on a newly planned project. Preliminary plan reviews are often conducted with other city inspection personnel in attendance—building inspectors, electrical inspectors, plumbing inspectors, health inspectors, mechanical inspectors, and so forth. Thus, a developer and design personnel can have many of their questions answered at one location.
These meetings allow designers and fire prevention personnel to meet face-to-face to discuss specific code issues. Since the plans are still somewhat conceptual in nature, changes can be made much more easily at this stage than after the drawings have been completed.
The design team should prepare specific questions before the meeting to maximize the meeting’s impact. Besides answering these questions, fire prevention bureau members can review the plans and look for potential problems/code issues. These meetings can be especially useful for helping out-of-towners become familiar with the local codes.
Depending on your workload, it is usually advantageous to charge for this type of meeting—a fee of S50 per hour is appropriate. Charging a fee can help recover your personnel costs, avoid overloading your personnel, and discourage people from using bureau personnel as a free code-consulting service.
